“Dr Seuss. Ooh the places you’ll go! – You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”
Brisbane vocalist, songwriter and performer Jessica Emily Odgers elevates country for a new era with emotional songcraft, honesty, and grace. Jessica released her debut EP The Girl With Three Names in May 2019. Featuring the singles “Candy” and “Fall Back”. The later single “Fall Back” co written with Nashville song-writers Hannah May Alison and John Millar is a storytelling love song that kicks off and introduces the distinctive sound and style of the EP. Young love is the theme here with current single “This Ain’t Over” a solo write which goes through the phases of break up and confusion knowing it had to be over with the feeling that the story is not finished. Ep track, “Hot Mess” reflects on Jess’s personality and is relatable for those of us that are prone to losing things, not paying phone bills, collecting coffee stains on clothes or being in a mess. The EP was produced Golden Guitar winning Producer Matt Fell and recorded at Love HZ Sydney with exception to Candy which was produced by Andrew Cochrane from Red Engine Brisbane and shows Jessica has a great feel for great melody and hooks.
Jessica grew up absorbed in music, with her dad a hardcore AC/DC fan, it was her mum’s CD collection of Dixie Chicks and Keith Urban that she fell in love with. Like many of her peers, at the age of around 13 Jessica discovered Taylor Swift and was drawn to how she could entertain the crowd and speak her truth with songs she wrote herself. Observing her idols and their song-writing skills, Jessica developed a affection for the craft and has been working hard to evolve her own style while learning via co-writing with Fanny Lumsden, Amber Lawrence, Kaylee Bell and Nashville staff writers. “As a songwriter I love to write about truth, whether it might be my truth or someone else’s. I write about everyday life experiences that I know people can relate to. I write from my experiences and other peoples experiences because other people have been through things that I haven’t, and I think their stories deserved to be heard as well.
Jessica’s mum was a gigging musician up until Jess was five years old. She would push her mum to invite her on stage for a song and so it was at the age of four that Odgers received her first microphone and stand when she became smitten with performing.
Jessica’s passion for country music and performance shines bright. She is still pushing people to invite her on stage. In late 2016 with a nudge and a home-made sign from her Mum, Keith Urban invited Jessica on stage at his Brisbane show on the Ripcord Tour for a special performance of his smash hit ‘Somewhere In My Car”.